Choose on how an agency thinks, not on how its portfolio looks. The discovery call is where you find that out, so treat it as an interview of them. You should leave knowing who would do the work, how it would run, and what it is meant to change for your business.
Do the homework first. Write down the problem in one sentence, and send a short brief before the call. Canny Creative suggests a quick test: can a first-time visitor tell within five seconds who you serve, what you do and why it matters? How an agency replies to your brief is already data. A good one reads your site before the call and comes with questions. A generic booking link and a template reply tell you how the rest will go.
Next, match the agency to the job. Brightscout splits it three ways: a brand from scratch needs research and strategy, a full rebrand needs change management and stakeholder alignment, and a refresh needs people who can apply an existing foundation everywhere it shows up. Ask which of those the agency does most, and be wary of anyone who prescribes a full rebrand before they have diagnosed anything. Blankboard lists that as a red flag, and it is a fair one.
Read proof, not the portfolio. As Canny puts it, a portfolio shows what they made, and proof shows what happened afterwards. Ask what changed for a past client, and ask to speak to one. Check that the named clients are real and that the work has some focus, because a random mix of unrelated projects can mean the agency collects work rather than specialises. Be honest with yourself here: the effect of branding is hard to isolate, so listen for how they reason about results rather than waiting for a miracle number.
Ask who does the work. Who leads day to day, can you meet them before you sign, what gets outsourced, and what happens if the lead leaves mid-project? Canny, Blankboard and Brightscout all flag the same pattern: senior people sell the project and someone you never met delivers it.
Ask how the work runs. You want phases, what you receive at the end of each, how many revision rounds are included, who consolidates feedback, what approval locks in, and how a change order is priced. Blankboard says strong answers name artefacts, owners and decision gates, and that unlimited revisions usually signal an unclear scope. A process that cannot be explained in a few sentences is a reason to move on, as Brightscout puts it.
Ask about ownership on the first call, not at handoff. Do you own the final files and the editable working files? Which formats, listed in the contract? What is excluded, such as fonts, stock images or AI-generated elements? What happens to ownership if the project stops early? Dull questions, expensive answers when nobody asked.
Watch how the agency behaves in the room. One that agrees with everything and never pushes back is telling you what you want to hear. A good one challenges a weak brief, asks what you should stop saying, and sometimes talks you out of the project you came in with. If it cannot connect a creative choice to a business result, or its process is a black box, that is your answer.
When proposals arrive, compare them like for like. Check whether each one covers strategy, identity, applications and a website, or only visuals. A price far below the others with no clear scope is a question, not a bargain, and Brightscout warns that the cheapest option up front is usually the most expensive later.
Before your next call, pick the three questions that matter most to you. Who does the work, how do revisions run, and who owns the files is a good start. Send the brief, then shortlist only the agencies that answer in specifics. If you want a studio's view on what your brief should say, that is a conversation we're glad to have.